Suspect arrested in Long Island power outage robberies

Police on Long Island say a man responsible for a series of robberies of storm-darkened homes in Garden City and Hempstead has been arrested.

Investigators say 46-year-old Artie Jackson is a career criminal with a long history of breaking into homes and stealing cars. But police say this time he turned violent, especially in the third incident, which happened Sunday night in East Garden City.

Jackson is accused of entering the home through a window and choking a woman before stealing her things and fleeing in her car.

A joint task force was formed after two incidents in Hempstead and Garden City in the days after Hurricane Sandy knocked out power in the area.

In the first incident Wednesday night, police say Jackson entered a darkened home on Bedell Avenue in Hempstead, confronted the owner and fired a shot into the ceiling before fleeing with items in the victim's car.

The next night, he allegedly fired two shots as he forced a man and two women into the basement of their Garden City home before stealing their property and car.

Both vehicles were found in Hempstead.

On the night of his arrest, there were 50 extra patrols searching the area when a 911 was placed.

Jackson faces charges including burglary, robbery, assault and attempted murder. Police say he may be a suspect in as many as 10 other robberies.